Accutane not working, very discouraged, very low self esteem
Hi everyone.
So I've had relatively bad acne for a while now, A LOT on my back, and quite a bit on my face. I've tried a few external treatments, none of them worked, and I was driven to the last resort of Accutane 2 months ago. I just finished my second month on 40 mg (2 a day) and I can honestly say that there is no difference in the severity and consistancy of my acne whatsoever. I suffer from depression and anxiety, and acne is making it a lot worse, especially since now I feel hopeless.
There are times where my acne settles now, but whenever it happens, I break out again. Whenever I start to feel a bit of hope for my acne, it's the same story. More just comes out. Just like before I was on accutane.
And these periods of clearer skin last MAX 1 week.
What should I do? I'm really stuck and I'm extremely upset. I feel very low and very ugly, I feel like blowing off plans with my girlfriend because I don't want her to see my face, etc...
and on a side-note, any suggestions for dead skin? Can I use a neutrogena exfoliating cleanser or will it end up making it worse?
I'm 15
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10-22-2009, 02:37 PM
#2
cortina
Newbie
(male)
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 4
Re: Accutane not working, very discouraged, very low self esteem
clinique has a cleansing system which is really good but pricey
11-29-2009, 02:43 PM
#3
dare2bedifferen
Junior Member
(female)
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Boston
Posts: 49
Re: Accutane not working, very discouraged, very low self esteem
I think you should continue with the accutane and try to have good confidence about yourself. Stop spending so much time in the mirror it will only make you feel lower. I use to do this all the time until the point I would break down and cry. Intake a lot of water and keep your hands off your face give it four months at the most if it doesn't improve tremendously then seek help from your dermatologist.
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11-29-2009, 04:22 PM
#4
lleess
Member
(female)
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 86
Re: Accutane not working, very discouraged, very low self esteem
ask your dermatologist if she can prescribe some topical meds to teake in addition to the accutane. i've used tazorac and differin and both helped me somewhat (but i hear you, it's always maddening cycles of good skin then break-outs again...). and i completely understand wanting to avoid people because your self-confidence is low, i feel that way a lot too, but it always helps me to remember that your friends like your personality, and although they might notice your skin and notice the acne, they wouldn't hold it against you and they wouldn't like your personality any less.
one other suggestion for the dry skin and breakouts: try exfloliating daily with dissolved aspirin. if you buy uncoated aspirin and let three or four dissolve under water into a paste, it becomes a great scrub. i use it every day in the shower and it has made my skin much smoother.
11-30-2009, 10:37 AM
#5
point08
Inactive
(male)
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: British Columbia
Posts: 169
Re: Accutane not working, very discouraged, very low self esteem
Stop drinking milk for two weeks and you will see an improvement. Also for a topical application go to your health food store and buy some oregano oil and dab it on the spots.
11-30-2009, 02:32 PM
#6
Xasthur
Junior Member
(male)
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 20
Re: Accutane not working, very discouraged, very low self esteem
Sorry to hear your acne has got you down man.
Everyone reacts differently to Accutane so there's nothing that anyone here can tell you in regard to when/if it's going to clear up.
As a person that's been on Accutane before (6 month cycle when I was 15, 8 years ago) I can tell you from my experience, that by the 2nd month I noticed very little change, but during the 5th month I started to clear up significantly and by the end of it I had almost no acne on my face or back. My advice to you would be to stick with it and for the time being just try to put it out of your mind. I'm going to assume that as part of the treatment you have monthly visits with your dermatologist- if time continues to pass without improvement tell them about it and maybe you'll get your dosage upped or something.
I know it sucks dude but IMO, if you stay on it it will eventually get better. I'm 23 now and my acne has come back and I also have anxiety and depression that's exacerbated by acne. Trust me it's A LOT worse having it in your mid 20's than it is in your teens.
Besides, you've got a girlfriend so it can't be all that bad, can it? Anyway if she's the type of chick that would ditch you over something like this, you'll know she's not worth it anyway. Stick with it and try not to get down on yourself (I know 10x easier said than done), it'll get better.
